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Orlando is preparing for its 7th annual World AIDS Day celebrations. this is the place

Orlando is preparing for its 7th annual World AIDS Day celebrations. this is the place

 


Andrés Acosta Ardila cries every time he receives an AIDS memorial quilt at a World AIDS Day ceremony.

Sewn into the quilt's patches are memories of lives lost to HIV in Central Florida.

“The quilts on display represent those of us who have died, and it's truly moving because of the people living with HIV. We understand that it is because of those who have died that we are able to live today.” said co-creator Acosta Ardilla. -Chairman of the Central Florida HIV Planning Council.

He was diagnosed with HIV 11 years ago. Acosta Ardila, like many other Central Floridians, is alive thanks to medical advances.

As such, the council will be celebrating its seventh year once again on Sunday at the Winter Club venue in Winter Park. The council is partnering with Heart of Florida United Way to host the event.

AIDS in Central Florida

World AIDS Day was first observed by the World Health Organization in 1988 to raise awareness and reduce stigma about HIV.

The number of new HIV infections in the United States has declined over the past 12 years, but remains high, with 38,000 new cases of HIV diagnosed in 2022, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. .

Florida's AIDS crisis continues, with Florida having the third-highest number of diagnoses in the nation, behind Texas and California. According to the Ministry of Health, there were 4,600 new HIV infections in the state in 2022.

Central Florida has been particularly hard hit, with 14,000 people living with the virus in Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties, according to AIDSVU, a research group at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health.

There were 460 new cases in Orange County alone last year, according to state data.

But thanks to medical advances, 67% of Floridians diagnosed with HIV are “virally suppressed,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means there is little trace of HIV in your body and you cannot transmit the virus.

Living with and celebrating AID

These advances are needed not only to stop the spread of HIV, but also to eliminate the stigma against it.

Acosta Ardila remembers the sadness and isolation she felt when she was first diagnosed.

“It meant that as a 23-year-old I was no longer sexually attracted to myself. I felt like broken, damaged goods, but at the same time I felt like I had to tell someone about my HIV status. “The burden of disclosure was placed on me, potentially resulting in a felony charge,” he said.

However, advances in medicine changed everything.

“It showed people that we are just like everyone else, like we really have nothing to fear. And that's the message I really want to get across,” Acosta Ardila said.

How to celebrate World AIDS Day

Sunday's event begins at 2 p.m. with a social gathering and refreshments at 2950 Aloma Ave. The gala program begins at 3 p.m.

“Everyone is welcome. We're really excited to make this event a celebration of people living with HIV, because, again, that's what we need.” he said. “For many of us, this is the first space where we can come back into our community and feel celebrated, but also where we feel like we can have a voice.”

Registration for the event can be done at the Central Florida HIV Planning Council. Instagram or Facebook page.

Sources

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2/ https://www.cfpublic.org/health/2024-11-28/orlando-prepares-for-7th-world-aids-day-celebration-heres-where

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